Dana White Says CM Punk Set to Train With Anthony Pettis and Roufusport

After widespread speculation as to where Phil “CM Punk” Brooks will train for his UFC debut, it looks as though the pro-wrestling star will be spending plenty of time with Anthony Pettis and the Roufusport crew.

White relayed the news during a recent interview with FOX Sports Live by saying (quote via MMA Fighting.com):

“He’s now picked a training camp,” White said. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to be training with Anthony Pettis, the 155-pound champion and his team. We’re just going to see how he progresses in training and then we’ll go from there.”

Brooks has received invitations from big name fighters like Robbie Lawler to train with him at ATT in Florida, but the former WWE star has said he hoped to remain close to his home in Illinois. Roufusport is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

If you’re not familiar with the famed Roufusport gym, not only is it the base camp for Pettis, his brother Sergio trains there, as do ONE FC welterweight champ Ben Askren, Erik Koch, Dustin Ortiz and Chico Camus, among other established fighters.

Punk has also said he wants to train in a welcoming environment, where sparring partners aren’t going to help him evolve as a fighter, rather than just try to hurt him. Roufusport grabbed headlines not long ago, after several fighters accused the gym of using dangerous and aggressive training practices. Duke Roufus, the team’s renowned head coach, has denied the allegations and clearly Brooks isn’t concerned about this if he’s heading to the gym.

Brooks is planning to make his Octagon debut in late 2015, and the aspiring fighter has yet to make a decision in terms of weight class. The 36 year-old has said, however, that 185 is most likely.